Story Highlights

Despite its vow to stay in the U.S. and its promise of a rebirth via new models, Japanese automaker Mitsubishi continued to shrink like a well-used piece of soap.

It reported March sales in the U.S. of just 5,286 vehicles, down 26.2% from an unspectacular result a year ago.

It is surviving, essentially, on two SUVs -- Outlander and Outlander Sport -- and the Lancer compact sedan.

The two SUVs reported big gains in March. The sedan slipped slightly.

Mitsu said at the New York International Auto Show last week that it soon will begin selling a new Outlander, followed by a 40-mpg, three-cylinder Mirage mini-car this fall, and a plug-in hybrid version of Outlander next year.

It plans to replace the discontinued Galant midsize sedan and has a bigger SUV in the wings, but it wouldn't give timing for those two vehicles, which are closer to the U.S. market mainstream that the ones it currently sells.